20 Movies That Prove That The 1970s Was The Best Decade For Film

8. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

'If he's crazy, what does that make you?' Milos Forman's 1975 drama film about a seemingly sane man's stay in a mental institution was only the second film in history to win all five of the major Academy Awards after 1934's It Happened One Night. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's nest is good value for it too as the film has many moments of brilliance. Jack Nicholson steals the show (naturally), but the supporting players are given a chance to shine as well. Watch out for a young Danny DeVito and a debuting Brad Dourif. The onscreen battle between Nicholson's Randle Murphy and Louise Fletcher's wicked nurse has been read as a personification of the 1970s culture wars. Keeping it authentic (as was often the case on 1970s productions), most of the actor's chose to stay in character when not filming and many of the extras were actual patients at the hospital.